Bad Axe sweeps EPBP, but not without major fight

Published 10:53 am, Monday, April 25, 2016

Previous to her stint as EPBP coach, Gettel officiated numerous matches between the Hatchets and Lakers.

And though her squad dropped a hard-fought 26-24, 25-20, 25-14 Greater Thumb West match to Bad Axe here Thursday night, she seems to be enjoying herself on the EPBP bench.

"It's fun to be a part of (the rivalry)," Gettel said. "As an official, you saw it, but really didn't think about it. But now, you can see it up close."

The Lakers gave the Hatchets all they could handle in this showdown between the GTW's top two teams. Bad Axe, now 51-1-2 overall, 6-0 GTW, holds the edge over the Lakers (5-1 GTW) as the teams prepare for Saturday's league tournament.

The GTW champion is based on a points system from the regular season and the league tournament.

"The good thing about winning tonight is that now we are up one point on them," said Bad Axe coach Mindy Breault. "So we have a little bit of an advantage."

The No. 2-ranked (Class C) Hatchets were anything but dominant, but  like they have all season  found a way to capture crucial points at crucial times of the match, including Game 1 when they actually trailed 24-23. They rattled off the next three points, including a game-winning kill from Stephanie Byrne, to earn the victory.

"We've been in that situation this year before, and the girls always seem to be calm," Breault said. "They just seem to have the confidence in their ability to battle back.

"We had trouble reading their hits in the first game. They have some hitters that can put the ball in different spots, so it took us some time to adjust."

Gettel said pulling that game out could have given her team a boost.

"The first game is always big in a match like this," she said. "I think it made a difference. Getting that first one is such a relief."

The Lakers stayed with the Hatchets for most of Game 2, knotting it at 19 before Bad Axe rallied. The Hatchets scored six of the game's final seven points, including kills from Amanda Bendrey and Amber Hearsch, to secure the win.

The Hatchets put the pressure on from the start in Game 3, jumping out to a 17-9 lead. Eventually, steady play at the net helped Bad Axe grab the victory.

Breault was happy with the victory, especially with the league tournament coming up this weekend.

"We haven't seen (EPBP) since early December, and they have really improved a lot," Breault said. "It's a good win for us (preparing for Saturday). The league tournament is always tough. You have to focus on the team on the other side of the net, and not look past anybody."

The Lakers are hoping the strides they've made in recent weeks pay off this Saturday, as well as next Saturday at the Class C district at Saginaw-Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

"I give a lot of credit to the girls," Gettel said. "I really think we're coming together as a team. I think they now realize they can play with them, play with anybody.

"At the beginning of the year, I didn't know them, they didn't know me. It's tough being a first-year coach at the varsity level, especially at such a good program like (EPBP). The improvement from the start of the year to now  I really can't ask any more of them. They've done a really nice job."

The Hatchets and Lakers are slated to play at 12:30 p.m. Saturday as part of the GTW Invitational at Unionville-Sebewaing Area.